Amatuer's Guide to Monsters
by Prof. Draco
Summary: Some quick journal entries about monsters. Not much more complicated than that.
1. Valkyrie

**Right, so I've been having thoughts swirling around of monsters and myths that could easily find a place in the world of Supernatural. This little journal blog will be a record of my interpretations and such, so I hope you guys like it. If you do, feel free to suggest a beastie for me to write about, my own ideas only go go far.**

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**Valkyries**

Angel like beings from Nordic mythologies that are said to carry the souls of dead warriors to Valhalla. In truth, they're slightly more malevolent.

**Appearance:** They look like humans, most things do it seems. Unlike most humans, however, they also have wings that look like sheets of knives. They can grow out their fingernails into vicious blade-like talons and have skin that is nigh-impenetrable.

**Powers: **Apart from the noted talon/skin/wings, they can travel freely between the realms of the dead and the living like Reapers. Unlike Reapers, they seek out and sometimes cause conflict simply to claim the souls of the deceased fighters. The presence of a Valkyrie causes feelings of irritation and anger in mortals, making fights almost inevitable.

It's unknown what the Valkyries get from collecting souls,or why they have to have died in combat. Documents from the Men of Letters hypothesize the souls fuel their life-force somehow.

**Weaknesses:** Having skin like armor and daggers for fingers, they're not easy to kill. Depriving them of souls makes them weaker and easier to dispatch, but the quickest way is stab them with their feathers. They have no resistance to the knives that cover their wings, and using one to stab a vital point is instant death to them. Being angels of war, they love fighting and it's almost effortless to goad one into a brawl.

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**This is entry one. I have another lined up, but if you liked this and want me to try and put a twist on another creature, let me know and I'll see what I can come up with.**


	2. Taniwha

**Here's part two. Remember to offer suggestions, I have the next two planned after this one but I'll try and get around to all of them.**

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**Taniwha**

Semi-aquatic cannibalistic monsters from Maori mythology. Known for being both savage beasts and loyal guardians. Native to New Zealand, though can be found worldwide.

**Appearance: **They can take the form of a human, always of Maori ethnicity. When riled, glowing Ta moko tattoos cover the face and body, similar to a Djinn. When attacking, they develop an un-hingable jaw and rows of shark-like teeth. Older Taniwha may also have small spines on the cheeks and forehead.

**Powers/Behavior: **Taniwha are strong creatures, easily able to overpower a human. Though they have no real supernatural abilities, they can hold their breath underwater for up to an hour and are powerful swimmers. They can consume about a quarter of their body weight at a time and store the remainder of their meals in dens, often located near water.

Though naturaslly wild and dangerous, some can be coerced into becoming guardians of locations of Iwis. Guardian Taniwha are incredibly devoted to their task and will give their own life to protect their charge. Some Taniwha have been seen abroad, having followed members of the families they guard.

**Weaknesses:** Due to their territorial nature, Taniwha rarely leave the safety of their home. An enraged Taniwha will likely not pursue past their territory boundaries. Guardian Taniwha are much more dangerous in this respect, as they eschew the constraints of territory to protect their patron families. These Taniwha may follow you to the ends of the earth to get vengeance from a wrongdoing.

Though evisceration is an effective means of dispatching anything, Taniwha have a fatal weakness to weapons crafted from New Zealand greenstone, and a native weapon known as the Mere is considered the go-to for dispatching them. A Taniwha fatally struck with a Mere will glow from the Ta moko patterns, before burning them out.

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**So there's number two. For the record, Ta moko patterns are the name for the intricate swirls found on Maori elders face and bodies. Unlike conventional tattoos, they're chiseled into the body and leave faint grooves on the skin. A Mere is a flat club-like weapon made of greenstone (New Zealand jade) that was used for close** **range bludgeoning. 'Iwi' is aMaori term used to refer to a family unit. This includes extended family, and some Iwis can get very large.**


	3. Aswang

**Late due to me working and not being arsed enough to get it done sooner.**

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**Aswang**

Demonic beats native to the Philippines, feared by the locals for their nauseating diet

**Appearance: **During the day they can take the form of a human and can effortlessly blend into society. Some hold jobs to further hide their true natures. At night, they show their true colors. Their skin becomes grey and leathery, long claws grow from the nails and the eyes become jet black. Their most recognizable feature is their abnormal tongue, which is twice as long as their body. The small tines on the tongue make a clicking sound as the pass the jaw, owing to the beasts nickname, the Tic-Tic.

**Powers/Behavior: **The Aswang is adept at hiding itself, both during the day and night. It's long claws and nimble body make it an adept climber, able to scale almost any vertical surface with little effort. It's diet consists entirely of flesh, which it gains from ambushing people. Most disturbing, however, is the diet of the female. After thirty, the female begins to suffer rapid aging and deterioration. To prevent this, they must consume fetuses. As in, UNBORN fetuses. Aswang tongues have a hollow tube inside, which is inserted into the pregnant victim. From there, the sharp tines blend and liquefy the fetus and the tube sucks up the resulting mess.

It has been observed that Aswangs have a certain sense of loyalty in that they will not attack friends or neighbors.

**Weaknesses: **Delightfully mortal. And significant strike will bring one down. Severing the tongue will also fell one quickly, as it contains a major artery that will cause it to bleed out. Aswangs also have a defining tell to make dispatching them during the day easier, reflections in their eyes always appear inverted.

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**I am so sorry for the mental images here. I wanted it to be as repulsive as the stories say. Anyway, I have the next entry planned, but zilch after that. Feel free to suggest. It will be up when I'm most Wednesday.**


	4. Dybbuk

**Fortunately I came up with another idea for an entry, So that's one more update you guys don't have to worry about. Assuming there are guys (or girls)out there actually reading this. Well, I know two are at least, but now I'm waffling. Here's an entry requested by Anhyrenkai.**

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**Dybbuk**

Ghouls of Jewish lore formed of guilt and sickness.

**Appearance: **Emaciated and ghoulish, the Dybbuk resembles a skeletal human with leathery skin. Eyes may or may not be present. They can be identified by a foul smell.

**Powers/Behavior: **Dybbuks are formed when a human, likely one of Jewish decent who deviates from the faith, dies in a miserable way. Some are born from suicide, some are the souls of those who lived dishonest or blasphemous lives. In general, anyone who lived without happiness, goodwill or empathy can become a Dybbuk. The horrendous smell of the Dybbuk is said to be a remnant of a rotten past life.

Dybbuks are possessors,and latch on to targets who are suffering some kind of emotional weakness such as grief or anger. They generally enter through the mouth by force while the victim is asleep and hide in the host body. While possessing an individual, it causes ill health and constant depression. Eventually the lack of joy causes the host to give up trying to survive and they die, producing another Dybbuk from their spirit. When threatened, the Dybbuk can channel telekinetic powers through the host.

**Weaknesses: **The traditional foil of the Dybbuk is a vessel known as a Dybbuk Box, a small chest that can seal and contain the spirit. When certain blessings are performed by a Rabbi, the box will draw in the Dybbuk and nullify it's influence. A Dybbuk with a human host is harder to capture, as they have a physical anchor. Jewish exorcisms can forcibly expel the ghoul, but this process is painful to the host and may cause serious physical and psychological damage.

Like all spirits, Dybbuks can be eliminated by salting and burning remains, though the fiend is not tethered to a specific location and may travel far, making location of the original body difficult.

One known Dybbuk box was in the possession of John Winchester, who saved a family from the creature by allowing it to possess him in exchange for the couple's young daughter.

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**Come on guys, I need ideas. I'd hate to have to stop something I've just started. Reviews are nice too.**


	5. Baba Yaga

**An update so soon after the last one! Gasp! This was one I had floating around for a while, but I'd completely forgotten about it until ****Anhyrenkai suggested it to me. So thank you to him/her, I'm going to assume him. He also suggested the next chapter, which I'lldo either tomorrow or in a few days when my internet comes back on. (Moving house, mixed blessing and curse)**

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**Baba Yaga**

Northern European hags that have a paedocidal reputation.

**Appearance: **Baba Yagas are human by all appearance, though they tend to be old and rarely attractive. A result of their magic causes their nose to grow into a hook shape and they have rather sharp teeth, but are otherwise unremarkable.

**Powers/Behavour:** A Baba Yaga is formed when a witch (of either gender, despite popular belief) performs a certain ritual to grant them more powerful magic. This ritual involves sacrificing the heart of a child and the legs of a chicken, among other things, and burying them under the place of living. The ritual gives the caster a greater feel for spiritual energy, causing their magic to become stronger and require less effort. The incantation can only be performed by an individual over 150 years old, however, owing to the aged look of some Baba Yaga.

The Baba Yaga must feed on the hearts of children (unspecified age, but before the onset of puberty). If they fail to do so, the ritual begins to fail and the witch will lose their magic. Due to the addictive nature of power, some Baba Yaga go to extreme lengths to capture children. Most famous account was documented by the Brothers Grimm, who hunted a Baba Yaga who had used her powerful magic to turn her forest home into sugary treats.

**Weaknesses: **The Baba Yaga's power can be eliminated by burning the sacrifice under their home. The shock of this will cause all of their magic to fade at once, leaving them human.

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**And there you go. Old people. Scary stuff.**


	6. Cyclops

**So it turns out that and Aswang was featured in one of the Supernatural novels, but having gone through it, their version bears much more similarities to anther Filipino beast, the Busaw. Now here's one that I wasn't sure what to do with, another request.**

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**Cyclops**

Brutish ogres from Greece, presumed extinct.

**Appearance: **Cyclopes resemble humans, brutish and muscular. They have a naturally high muscle mass, making even the young bulky and strong. Around puberty the eyes merge together in a (reportedly very painful) process, leaving one larger eye in the center of the face. Because of this, they are unable to function in human society. Due to their inability to hide their nature, they were over hunted and are presumed an extinct species as of the mid 1300s.

**Powers/Behavior: **Cyclopes are brutes by nature, able to overpower almost anything with force alone. They have little in the way of abilities, though they are rather more intelligent than most would suspect. They are capable to speech and organised society, though hierarchy is based on the strongest over the weakest. They are noted to be skilled in farming, both livestock and produce.

**Weaknesses: **Pretty much anything. Despite their natural resilience, they're mortal creatures. Thick skin and strong bones save them from basic weapons, but a significant amount of force can incapacitate them. Alternatively, a shot to the eye will pierce the brain, resulting in instant fatality.

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**Yep, a bit weak, but it was a tough one. Any takers for the next? Otherwise I'm thinking something different for the next chapter.**


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